Hemp-stripping machine



P. H. FRANK ET AL HEMP STRIPPING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1923 3 sheets sheet 1 WITNESSES A TTORNEYS P. H. FRANK ET AL HEMP STRIPPING MACHINE Filed March 20, v1925 3 Sheet-Sheet 2 WITNESSES I INVENTORS P- M flai /19M 14 M60 0.

A TTORNEYS .P. H. FRANK ET AL HEMP STRIPPING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1923 3 Sheet-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

PATRICK HENRY FRANK AND WILLIAM HENRY GUI-IN, OF MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

HEMP-STRIPPING MACHINE.

Application filed March 20, 1923. Serial No. 626,329.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that we, PATRICK H. FRANK and WILLIAM H. GoHN, citizens of the United States, and residents of Manila, Philippine Islands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hemp- Stripping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Ourinvention relates to hemp stripping machines, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of our invention is to provide a machine affording facilities whereby the operation of stripping hemp leaves may be accomplished mechanically, thereby obviating the strain incident to the performance of hemp stripping operations manually.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device of the class described which is sufficiently strongand durable for use without impairment or wear in accomplish ing the desired operations, and which at the same time is adapted to be readily transported from one place to another about a plantation, or the like.

A still further object of our invention isto provide a device of the character described which is adapted to be operated easily and conveniently to permit of the stripping of a relatively great quantity of hemp leaves in a given time.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly outlined in the appended claims.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a machine embodying our invention,

Figure 2 is a plan View of the machine, with knife carrying bars comprised therein omitted,

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the machine,

Figures 4:, 5, and 6, respectively, are a plan view, a side elevation and an end view of one of a pair of stripping heads comprised in the machine,

Figures 7 and 8, respectively, are a side elevation and a plan view of one of the two knife carrying levers or bars comprised in the machine, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary end view of the knife carrymg bar or lever.

As is well known, hemp stripping operations at the present time are carried out al most entirely by hand, the bunches of hemp leaves being grasped and drawn under knives held by adjustable pressure, thus separating the pulp from the fiber. It is equally well known that this operation is extremely laborious and imposes a relatively great strain upon the workmen, frequent ly impairing and ruining their health in a relatively short time.

As stated, an important object is to provide means whereby the hemp stripping operation may be accomplished meclianically, thereby obviating the strain on the workmen which has heretofore been of necessity an incident of hemp stripping operations.

Incarrying out our invention, We provide a pair of supporting frames 1, each of which is substantially of inverted U-shape and is in upright position upon one of a pair of runners 2, which runners are securely connected together and held in spaced parallel relation by cross connecting members and braces, such as indicated at 3 in the drawings. The, frames 1. may be formed in any suitable known manner, as by being made of steel shapes cut to desirable sizes and secured together, or may oe cast in a single piece of any suitable metal, or may be made of any suitable material. The crowns or uppermost portions of the frames 1 are horizontally disposed and lie in the same plane. Each of the frames 1. has formed on the upper part thereof the block portion of a bearing the cap portion of which is formed separately and is adapted to be se-' cured to the block portion in any suitable known manner. The bearings l are axially aligned and have journaled therein a horizontal shaft 5, the end portions of which extend beyond the remote ends of the bearings and are provided with tapered Wooden thimbles 6 which are rigidly mounted thereon and which constitute spindles.

Each of the frames 1 supports at its upper end a stripping head which is generally designated '7 and which may be formed integrally with the frame or separately and secured rigidly to the latter by any suitable fastening means. Each stripping head 7 includes a horizontal plate or table por- (iii tion 8 merged at one end into an upstanding carrying or bracket portion 9, the table portion and the upstanding portion being suitably reinforced and stayed to each oth er by integral web portions of the stripping'head, as clearly shown in the drawings. Each table portion 8 has formed therethrough a plurality of transversely aligned or parallel elongated openings or slots 10 through which bolts may be projected to justably supported upon an arm 14 of a knlfecarrying lever 15. The lever 15 has the general form of a bell crank as clearly shown. The arm 14 thereof supports the knife blade and extends through a slot 16 in the upstanding portion of the stripping head, being pivotally attached to the latter at a point adjacent to the juncture of its two arms through the agency of a pivot pin 17 which extends transversely through the walls .of the slot 16 and through an aligned opening 18 formed in the knife carrying lever. The stripping blade 13 is adjustably secured in a slot, rabbet or recess 19 in the lowerpart of the arm lt by means of horizontal bolts 20 extending through slots in the arm and openings in the blade to clamp it to the arm 14., vertical set screws 21 being carried-by the arm14 to hold the knife blade in vertically adjusted positions. It willof course be understood that each of the stripping heads is provided with one of the knife carrying bars or levers 15. The slot 16 in the upstanding portion of each stripping head and in which each knife carrying bar or lever is pivotally supported inclined slightly from the perpendicular so that each knife blade 13 will likewise be in a plane inclined slightly to the perpendicular.

Theadjustment of the knife blade and the table carried by each stripping head in respect to each other is such that the knife blade is supported with its cutting edge 23 inparallel overlying spaced relation to the table and may rest upon the rest 11 when in inactive position.

The stripping heads of the two frames extend from remote sides of the latter or oppositely in respect to each other.

Each of the knife carrying bars or levers 15 also includes a relatively long arm 25 which depends alongside of the inner side of one of the frames 1 and is connected adjacentto its lower end by a connecting 'treadle or foot lever which extends laterally of one of therunners 2, and is rigidly secured at its inner end to one of the rock shafts 28 or may be formed integrally with the latter.

A fly wheel 31 is secured upon the shaft 5 midway between the frames 1. A torque may be in'iparted to the shaft 5 from asuitable source of power and by any suitable transmission means with which a pulley 32 or like element is adapted to be connected, the pulley 32 being secured to the shaft 5 in the en'ibodiment of the invention illus trated.

Our invention provides means for actuating the knife carrying bars or levers continuously to tend to hold the knife blade in contact with the pallets or rests 11. Such means include flexible connectors 33, each having one end attached to the depnding arm 25 of one of the knife carrying bars or levers and then being extendedlaterally and trained about a guide roller or sheave 3 which is rotatably supported uponone of the runners 2, the flexible cables then beextended vertically from the guide sheaves or rollers and being connected, as at 35, with the inner ends of beams 36. The latter are pivotally supported at points relatively adjacent to their inner ends upon standards 37 supported by the base structure of the device, as for instance by the runners 2. Weights 38 are adjustably supported on the beams 36 between the fulcrums of the latter andv the outer ends thereof. The arrangement is such that weights 38 actuate the beams 36 to exert a pressure continuously upon the knife carrying bars or levers so that the knife blades are held continuously in contact with the pallets or rests 11.

From the foregoing description of the I various parts of the device, the operatlon thereof may be readily understood. The knife blades may be raised from thetables by pressure applied upon the treadles 30, whereby the depending arms 25 of the knife carrying bars or levers are swung inwardly about the axis of the pivots 17. In actual practice, a supply of hemp leaves which have been prepared for stripping and which are commonly known as tuxies is placed adjacent to each of the stripping, heads. The machine described includes two stripping heads and consequently is adapted for use by two operators at the same time Each operator grasps hemp leaves from the supply and after raising the knife from the table of the adjacent stripping head by depressing the treadle 30, shoves the hemp leaves under the knife and between the knife and table. He then permits the knife to come down on the hemp leaves, which action will take place as soon as pressure is removed from the treadle as the knife carrying bars or levers are continuously actuated by the weights 38. The ends of the leaves under the knife are then wrapped around one of the spindles (3 and a pull thereon sufiicient to cause friction between the hemp leaves and the spindle is exerted. The shaft 5 with the parts carried thereby, such as the spindles, flywheel and pulleys, is continually in motion at approximately 300 to 400 revolutions per minute, whereby the hemp leaves will be pulled between the knife edge and the rest bar.

The portion of the hemp leaves that have been pulled under the knife will thus be stripped. 'lhe hemp leaves are now reversed, end for end, and any pulp clinging to the knife from the previous operation having been removed, the knife is caused to again come down on the leaves a few inches from the line at which the pulp begins and the cleaned hemp is wrapped around the spindle in the manner heretofore described. Thus, the hemp leaves are cleaned for the remainder of their length and are thus stripped from end to end.

The same operation is conducted at both sides of the machine at one time. When it is desired to move the machine from place to place, it may conveniently moved upon the runners Obviously, wheels or other means for supporting the machine for movement may be substituted for the runners 2, without departing from the scope of the invention. Any suitable prime mover of source of power may be connected to the shaft A two or three horse power gasoline engine will supply power sufficientto operate one of the machines.

Obviously, our invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated herein, and we therefore consider as our own all modifications of the form of device herein disclosed which fairly fall within the spirit and scope of our invention claimed.

We claim L In a hemp stripping machine, a stripping head having a supporting portion on which the hemp leaves may rest and having also an upright bracket portion, a lever of angular formation pivotally attached substantially at the juncture of the arms thereof to the bracket portion of the stripping head, whereby one arm of the lever overlies the supporting portion of the stripping head, a blade carried by said one arm of the lever for cooperating with said supporting portion, means connected with the other arm of the lever and actuating the latter to continuously urge the blade toward said supporting portion of the stripping head, and a rotatable spindle positioned adjacent to said stripping head, said spindle being adapted to be engaged by hemp leaves extending across said supporting portion of the stripping head underneath said blade and being operable to draw said hemp leaves in the direction of their length be tween said supporting portion of the stripping head and said blade.

2. In a hemp stripping machine, stripping head having a horizontal table portion, a rest supported upon said table portion, a stripping knife supported upon the table for movement into and out of position to cooperate with the rest to strip hemp leaves drawn between the knife and the rest, and power driven means adapted to be engaged with said hemp leaves and to pull the latter between the knife and rest, said power driven means including a rotating spindle, said spindle being free at one end and tapering regularly toward its free end.

3. in a hemp stripping machine, a stripping head having a horizontal table portion and an upright bracket portion, a rest holder adjustably secured on the table portion, a rest resiliently supported by the holder, a knife carrying lever of angular formation and being pivotally attached substantially at l the juncture of the arms thereof to the bracket portion of the stripping head, whereby one arm of the lever overlies the rest, a bladeadjust-ably supported on said one arm, for cooperating with said rest and gravity means connected with the other arm of the lever and actuating the latter to continuously urge the blade toward the rest.

PATRICK HENRY FRANK. WILLIAM HENRY GOHN. 

